Whenever you detect the smell it would be worth recording what your son has had to eat and drink over the previous day in order to see if the odour...

Question

My son has had developmental problems since birth with delayed milestones.

He is under the care of a geneticist and paediatrician. A few times when he has woken up in the morning his breath smells like methylated spirits, and his wet nappies have the same smell.

This does not happen all the time, only occasionally.

I have taken him to have his glucose levels checked and they were normal. I am aware that there are some metabolic disorders that may be linked to these symptoms.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

My GP has sent his urine sample off to test for sugar reducing levels. For five years we have tried to determine the reasons behind my son's problems and we are just searching.

Please help me to throw some light on this problem and whether or not it could indicate a disorder.

Answer

I'm so sorry to hear that your son has had developmental problems since birth.

If a definite diagnosis hasn't been made it must make the situation even harder for you, leaving you wondering if the underlying cause of his condition could be determined whether there might be some kind of treatment that could help him.

MOST POPULAR

The odd smell that you've detected on your son's breath and nappies at times may, or may not, be related to the condition which has caused his developmental delay.

Whenever you detect the smell it would be worth recording what your son has had to eat and drink over the previous day in order to see if the odour appears to be related to something in his diet.

So far the blood tests that your son has had done haven't shown any abnormalities, but have you mentioned the smell to the geneticist or paediatrician looking after him?

It's just possible, when taken in conjunction with his overall condition, that this piece of information might suggest to one of them a particular metabolic disorder.

If so, there might be other tests that they would consider doing. Metabolic disorders are many and varied, and some are extremely rare, so unfortunately that can make them very difficult to diagnose.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

Getting healthy just got a whole lot easier

Don't miss out on the latest healthy living news and inspiration direct to your inbox.

Enter your email address:

this is a test error

We will also let you know about discounts and great offers from us, tick this box if you'd rather not know about these.
Hearst Partners would like to let you know about some of their fantastic discounts, special offers, and promotions. We promise you wont be bombarded. Tick here if you would like to receive these.